Cornelia Lüdecke

Topics

Expert in the history of polar research and the history of meteorology

Cornelia Lüdecke holds a diploma (master's degree) in meteorology and worked for MAN Neue Technologie from 1981-1995. In 1994 she finished her PhD at the University in Munich with a thesis on the history of German polar research from 1900-1939. In 2002 she was qualified for lecturing at the University of Hamburg, where she received the venia legendi for history of natural sciences. In 2003 she was appointed Privatdozent and since then has taught regularily in Hamburg.

She has written over 160 publications on the history of geography, meteorologyand , polar research, including five monographs, editing three volumes of conference proceedings, and an exhibition catalogue.
In 1991 she founded the History of Polar Research Working Group, which she has chaired ever since and since 1995 she has chaired the History of Meteorology Working Group. In 2001 she was elected Vice President, and 2006-2010 President, of the International Commission on the History of Meteorology. In 2004 she founded the History of Antarctic Research Expert Group of the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research, which she has also chaired since its inception. In these functions she has organized numerous conferences and workshops and spent significant time in the field participating in national and international meteorological experiments and polar expeditions, as well as lecturing on cruise ships. In 2010 she was awarded the Reinhard Süring Medal of the German Meteorological Society.

Presentation Topics

What the IT-Clouds can learn from meteorological cloud research

Emergence into the modern age.- Start of meteorological co-operation in 1780

Alfred Wegener's death in Greenland 1930 - A result of wrong decisions

Icy history - In the track of famous polar researchers

German Antarctic research - Development in four steps: 1901 / 1911 / 1938 / 1981

Management of no-man's-land - The development of the Svalbard and Antarctic Treaty